Professor Don H. Rasmussen conducts experimental research focused on (1) the recrystallization of High Energy Materials and other solution grown crystals using thermal analysis and hot stage microscopic techniques (with P. Hopke); (2) freeze drying of colloidal suspensions to free particles for further processing or as materials for obscurant smokes (with R. Partch); (3) characterizing concentrated colloidal systems using fiber optic dynamic light scattering; (4) determination of the stability of oxide slurries in suspension far from neutral pH where dissolution of the oxide is thermodynamically driven (with S.V. Babu); (5) metal particle nucleation and growth in non-aqueous media; (6) nano-scale ceramic particle nucleation and growth, and in the deposition of thin ceramic films; (7) preparation of and protection of electrodes for application in oxidizing and reducing environments for use in fuel cells both PEM and/or SOFC (with I. Suni); (8) generation of complex catalysts for controlled sesquestration of carbon dioxide (with G. Campbell); (9) homogeneous nucleation in aerosols and polymer systems; and finally, the influence of surface properties of polymers and colloidal particles on the chemical-mechanical polishing of metal and nonmetal films. His theoretical interests include: (1) measurement of and understanding the single mode character of the dynamic scattered light power spectrum from concentrated colloidal systems using a bifurcated single mode fiber optic probe and (2) nucleation and growth of particles in supersaturated systems.

Granular Flows and Materials

Professor Hayley Shen was one of 22 invited speakers at the recent Gordon Conference on Granular and Granular-Fluid Flow held at Oxford University in July 2006. In her talk "Internal Parameters in Transitional Granular Flows," she showed that granular materials have phase transitions very similar to ordinary materials. They depict solid, liquid, and gas phases. However, unlike ordinary materials, granular materials’ phase transition is diffused, without a sharp dependence defined by temperature and pressure. The most important bulk parameter for granular materials’ phase transition is the solid fraction, and the most important internal parameter for the transition is the coordination number.

Ultra-Fine Grain Nickel by Pulsed Electrodeposition

Professor David Morrison and Professor John Moosbrugger of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering have a project underway on the processing, microstructure and mechanical properties of ultra-fine grain nickel. Sub-micron (20 nm - 500 nm) grain size nickel is being produced by a pulsed electrodeposition technique. Bulk 10 mm diameter and 60 mm long cylinders have been produced. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction have verified submicron grain sizes, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) has verified that relatively pure nickel is produced. The cylinders have been machined into test specimens for reversed tension-compression fatigue tests. Cyclic stress strain curves show enhanced cyclic strength relative to conventional grain size nickel but generally reduced fatigue life when cycled under constant plastic strain amplitude conditions. TEM has been used to examine pre and post cycling grain and dislocation structures. Current efforts are directed toward more complex multiaxial cyclic loading of the ultra-fine grain nickel. Thin-walled tubular specimens with 12 mm diameter, 1 mm wall thickness, and 80 mm length have been produced. Multiaxial cyclic loading experiments will be performed using Clarkson's axial-torsional mechanical testing system.

Clarkson University Professor Sergiy Minko Receives National Science Foundation Award to be Part of an International Research Team

Professor Sergiy Minko, the Egon Matijevic Chaired Professor of Chemistry at Clarkson University, receives $150,000 of support from the National Science Foundation for the research project “ Materials WorldNetwork: Design of Responsive Materials via Mixed Polymer Brush Approach.”This project is funded through the NSF program component titled “Materials World Network: Cooperative Activity in Materials Research between US Investigators and their Counterparts Abroad.” This effort involves about one million dollars over three years for the collaborative research project of five academic institutions (two US and three German teams) funded by both the National Science Foundation and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; German Research Foundation). Professor Minko’s team will develop new responsive polymer materials with their partners from Clemson University (Professor I. Luzinov), Leibniz-Institute for Polymer Research at Dresden (Professor M. Stamm and Dr. K.-J. Eichhorn), the University of Gottingen (Professor M. Mueller) and the Institute for Analytical Sciences in Berlin (Dr. K. Hinrichs and Dr. N. Esser). Based on a creative combination of polymer physics, chemical synthesis, and self-assembly, the investigators propose a novel route for the fabrication of smart responsive materials with the ability to switch interactions and to adapt their interfacial chemical composition upon external signals such as pH, ionic strength, temperature, and electrical potential in an aqueous environment. The thin polymer films with smart properties will be especially designed from functional polymers with different chemical architecture and size. Successful completion of this proposed research will have a broad impact on materials science, since the composition and behavior of surfaces and interfaces play a pivotal role in dictating the overall efficiency of most materials and devices. Another priority of the proposed project is the involvement of the brightest high-school, undergraduate and graduate students in modern surface science and nanotechnology research. The project will result in the training of students in the area of surface modification and characterization of nanostructured materials. Students will also greatly benefit from the collaboration between the US and German research institutions, since they will be actively involved in international research collaborations planned within the framework of the project.

More than 100 of the world’s premier researchers, academics, high technology companies and suppliers gathered in Lake Placid, NY August 13 – 16 for the 11th International Chemical-Mechanical Planarization (CMP) Symposium, sponsored by Clarkson’s Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP).

Clarkson Professor Suresh Dhaniyala Recognized as a Leading Educator and Scholar by the National Science Foundation

Clarkson University faculty member Suresh Dhaniyala, assistant professor of the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Department, recently received the NSF CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation. The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program grants the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards to professors in the early stages of their careers. The award supports the educational activities of teacher-scholars who have proven to successfully integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization. These activities promise to build a solid foundation for a lifetime of contributions to research and education. Professor Dhaniyala’s project titled “New Techniques for Aerosol/Cloud Sampling and Analysis” earned him the special distinction from the NSF.